Drilling apparatus



July 28, 1931- c. c. HANSEN DILLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec.

INVENToR. @M Handem BY H15 ATTORNEY c. c. HANSEN 1,816,481

DRLLLING APPARATUS July 2s, 1931.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1928 "U- INVENTOR H215 A TTORNEY alla' leu' 6170116922 I Patented July 28, 1931l y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l CHARLES C. HANSEN, F EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, YASSIGNOR TO yIIN'(BrECRSOLL-RAND COMPANY, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, .A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY DRILLING APPARATUS Application mea December 2s, 192s. seriaiNo. 328.869.

vThis invention relates to .fluid actuated rock drills, but more particularly to a drilling apparatus adapted to be disposed in the drill hole for drilling holes of considerable depth and of large diameter.

One object yof the invention is to assure a clean working surface through the use Aof means whereby .the cuttings will be expelled from the drill hole as rapidly as formed, by pressure fluid without `materially vincreasing the pressure fluid consumption Figure 3 is a View similar. to Figure 1 showing a modified'form of the invention.

Referring moreparticularly to the drawings, A designates generally a drilling apparatus and B a drill .hole into whichvthe drilling apparatus A is disposed for drilling the rock C.

The drilling apparatus illustrated is adapted more particularly for open pit drilling as in ore deposits in which it is advantageous to drill holes of large diameter to receive explosive material in the form known as bag cartridges. Through the use of this method the rock will merely be loosened instead of displaced so that it may be conveniently handled by the excavating machinery., It will Ythus be seen that'this method of drilling differs kfrom the more familiar method of drilling holes of small diameter and in which only the drill steel enters the rock. p

The apparatus comprisesin this instance a rock drill D which may be of any known type and has a cylinder E and a front head F into whichextends a drill steel G adapted to be actuated by the hammer piston (not shown) of the drill. At the rearward end of the cylinder E is a back'head H which may have a rearward extension J with an annular flange K at its free end to which is fixedly secured a casing L.

The casing L is preferably arranged coaXially with respect to the rock drill D'and may be of a diameter somewhat smaller than the drill hole B into which the casing L is disposed so that water introduced into the drill hole B from avconnection O may flow freely between the surfaces of the drill hole B and the casing A into the bottom of the drill hole.

In the form of the invention illustrated the back head H is provided with an inlet passage P which is threaded at its outer end for connection to a pipe Q through which the pressure fluid may be introducedinto y the drill for actuating said drill. The pipe Q, is preferably of ksuch proportions and length that it may serve as a handle forthe rock drill to vpress it to the work and also for convenience in lowering and raising the dBrilling apparatus into and out of the hole .The drill steel G may be all essential respects substantially like theordinary type of drill steel. As illustrated it differs therefrom only in that the cutting bit R is prefother portion of the drilling appartus to assure such clearance between vthe wallof the drill hole B and the-casing .A as may be necessary for the admission of water into the drill'hole. n f n Heretofore difliculties which have proved well nigh insurmountable have been encountered in efforts to drill holes of such diameter as to enable the entire,drilling `apparatus to be disposed therein. rlhe principal diiculty was the matter of removing t-he detritus from the drill hole, particularly in'ore deposits where the elements of greater Vspecific gravity-readily precipitate to the bottom of the hole. Although the bit end R of the drilly steel may readily pene- Shop? @El hosen. upturueel enel c trate such cuttings, there invariably comes a period where the entire drilling mechanism must of necessity be removed from the drill hole to effect a proper Cleansing thereof. Various methods have been suggested and tried 'for cleaning the drill hole under these conditions, as for instance, the disiosing of a nozzle in the bottom of the drill hole and introducing water under high pressure thereunto for Carrying the cuttings te the surface of the` ground, -Another method which has been tried is to scrape the cuttings from the drill hole. Both of these methods have serious drawbacks. In the use of the former, it is not always possible toha've yan evoleble Supply of weer et the plee-Sore necessary to v'ren'iove the cuttino1 This leavesonly the use of the other al rnatiye, namely,'scraping, which howeyei., vs a slow proeees andv not conducive to the lighflrillingeificiency voi' which an apparatus of ty e capable. i e 'present invention contemplates the maintenance of a cleanworlriiig `face by re'- moving the cuttings roin the bottoni oztf the drill hole ashjapidly as they are formed. Tof this end the apparatus is provided a pi Yev S which is tlgepoeed iii this instance wilhin the' casing A and which may project with its forward or loweruioee en@ 'l to. a oint near the corresponding end ci the cas- VIig A and preferably in yas close proximity to the drill bit R as is practicable the endT of the pipe S is the inlet opelig U Wholol is preferably of' restricted cross sectional'area so that any` rock particle whichl may enter lSeid inlet' opening will readily, pass through the main, lQQlY Dertien fthe' pipe S. In(A the accompanying illus,- tration thisV is accomplished by merely flat? lening the eoel T of thelpipe S- Theppe S extends through the easing A omi ie thieefled 'eilte uppermost end V for engagement with threads XV of passage X in the flange 4K of the bacl; head rEhe esteso Xf extensie through Lille flange l. and is LYided with threads Y at itsfoppote en for engagement with a conduit Z'which spre'ferablyfin the form ot a flexible le yse and extends to the surface of' the groundy for conveyinglcuttings and water issuing from al@ PPo' S to llefelufeoe oi the ground. l

During drilling the cuttinogs will of course be constantly agitated by the drill bit R so that they will remain momentarily suspended ih the 'Water Soli'lounfdng. the inlet opening U of the Dpe S and While the eut.- tiiigs are thus" suspended they yshould be irrimediatelyexpelled from the: drill h olcl Tlielmeens Proiided for this purpose oom- P1`SS",1`,th insieme e Conduit Z) the upper end of whichA is threaded intoy the, exhaust port cof the cylinderl The other or lower end of the Conduit is preferably of. epllone I which Y projects into the inlet opening U to introduce a jet of pressure fluid, in this instance, the exhaust fluid from the cylinder E, into the pipe S for drawing the cuttings into the pipe S and for elevating them through said pipe and through the conduit b to the surface, of the ground. e

In the drawings the lowermost end of the casing A extends to the point near the cuttingbkt B- Tlle enel of: the easing of course ouen .miel Water may tliereore enter the lower end of the casing. The water howevier, will not rise to an elevation where it may find entrance into the rock drill for the reason that'pressure fluid is constantly leaking from various portions of the rock drill, particularly from the. opening in the front 'end of the front head l? into which the drill steel Gr extends, Such leakage pressure fluidwill air-pack the drill and, since the casing A issealed at its front end @Y the Weterftlle Water Within 'the easing will always remain at a 104W levell` that is, the lsur-tace of the water will always remain considerably below the lo-.Wormose Portion lj the rock drill.

lu practice, after the. drill hole. B leas been drilled to such a depth that the lowermost enel of elle easing A. may extend: thereirito. water may be introduced into the drill l'role from the connection Q. to sealtheY front enel of the. casing A and. thus makeit poe-- sible for the cuttings to be whirledv into the Vicinity of the inlet opellHgU ofy the` pipe S into; which they willv beI drawn Vby the exllauet fluid from the.. exliaustport e issuing from the @nel f lvoflthe conduit b, The yeuttings will then be' expelled through the pipe S, and the conduit Z to the eurfeeeef the g1g-und; .l

' As they drill hole deepens the drilling au,- paratus will follow the progress of the drill bit ofI its own weight and when this does not prove adequate for 'the best drilling re: sultsl additional pressure' may loe/'manually applied to, the pipe i U By means of the present intentien the Some favorable drilling conditions existing at the beginning of the hole will also at greater depths since, the progress of the drill steel will no time be impeded by the formation o a c-LiShiOi .Oli ore particles, in advance. of the, drill bit- Y' l 'y ln the moflietonsliowu in 3 the apparatus, is, provided with a, pipe e sube. Stuntially similar tothe pipe. 'S1 in the. pre ferred; lllOdlCa/QIL .Ill the lleflf'- ln.- etenee llo-Wever, vthe. lpipe e ie presided/with aA plurality of ports 7? at a point remote from the inlet opening' T for the admission .of pressure fluid into the pipe e, to. elevate the liquid and cuttings through the sgi@ pip@ into theconduit Z. Y

In this modification the pressure fluid from the cylinder E is exhaustedY` directly into the casing L through which it flows to the ports f.

During the operation of this modified form of the invention theexhaust fluid flowf ing from the cylinder E into the casing L will tend to maintain the liquid in the casing L at a level below the rock drill. By using the exhaust fluid for this purpose instead of live pressure fluid directly from the source of supply a considerable economy in the matter of pressure fluid consumption will be effected.

I claim: 1

l. In combination with a flui-d actuated rock drill having a cylinder and front and back heads, of a casing lixedly attached to the rock drill and coaxially therewith, said casing being adapted toy extend into a hole being drilled to form a chamber for pressure fluid around and forwardly of the rock drill and thus prevent the' admission of liquid into the rock drill, a pipe disposed between the rock drill and the casing and being fixedly connected to the rock drill, and a conduit for introducing exhaust fluid from the cylinder into the pipe to carry cuttings and liquid therethrough from the drill hole.

2. In combination with a fluid actuated rock drill having a cylinder and front and back heads, of a casing fixedly attached at one end to the back head and adapted to extend into a hole being drilled to form a chamber for pressure fluid around and forwardly of the rock drillA and thus prevent the admission of liquid into the rock drill, said casing being arranged coaxially with respect to the rock drill, a pipe within the casing having a restricted inlet opening and being fixedly secured to the back head, and a conduit connected to the cylinder and extending into the restricted inletl opening ofk the pipe for introducing exhaust fluid from.

the cylinder into the pipe to carry cuttings and liquid therethrough from the drill hole.

3. In combination with a fluid actuated rock drill having a cylinder and a front head, of a back head for the cylinder having a passage, a casing attached fixedly to the back head and adapted to extend forwardly of the front head to form a chamber for pressure fluid around the rock drill and thus prevent the admission of` liquid into the rock drill, a pipe threaded at one end into the passage and being disposed between the rock drill and the casing, said pipe having a restricted inlet opening, a. conduit for conveying exhaust fluid from the cylinder into the inlet opening of the pipe to expel cuttings and liquid from a hole being drilled, and a tube threaded into back heads, of a casing fixedly attached to the rock drill coaxially therewith, said casing being adapted to extend into a hole being drilled to form a chamber for pressure fluid around and forwardly ofthe rock drill and `thus prevent the admission of liquid into the rock drill, a pipe disposed between the rock drill and the casing and being fixedly connected to the rock drill, and a conduit for introducing pressure f'luid into the pipe to carry cuttings and liquid therethrough from the drill hole.

5. In combination with a Huid actuated rock drill having ya cylinder and front and back heads, of a casing for the rock drill having an open end disposed at a point beyond the front end of the drill, said casing being adapted to extend into a hole being drilled to form a chamber for leakage pressure fluid from the rock drill around and forwardly of the rock drill to prevent the admission of liquid into the drill, a pipe disposed between the rock drill and the casing, and means for introducing exhaust fluid from thecylinder into the pipe to carry cuttings and liquid therethrough from the drill hole.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification. CHARLES C. HANSEN.

the passage in the back head for conveying y 

